New owners in place at Blairsville Pharmacy

Dan David is retiring after four decades of operating Blairsville Pharmacy, but the business is set to continue as an independent pharmacy under new ownership.

“I wanted to keep it an independent store,” David said. “I didn't want to sell out to a chain store.”

The store has been purchased by four partners, John Pastorek, Brian Sidone and brothers Jeff and Jack Moschgat. Pastorek, an Ebensburg area resident who is originally from Mars, will run the store together with pharmacist Connie Constantino.

Headed by father Jerry, the Moschgat family operates four other independent drug stores in Ebensburg, Nanty Glo, Cresson and Portage under the name Mainline Pharmacy.

“We're going to keep the Blairsville Pharmacy name” for the newly acquired store, Pastorek said. “Don't fix what's not broken.”

He said he and his partners also plan to retain the pharmacy's existing staff of about 15.

Pastorek has his own family tradition in the field. He noted his mother had worked for years as a pharmacist for an independent druggist.

Pastorek graduated in 2012 from the Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, where he befriended classmate Jeff Moschgat. Sidone graduated a year before them.

Before venturing into the partnership to purchase Blairsville Pharmacy, Pastorek worked for the Moschgat family.

With two children working in other fields — son Keith is employed in marketing in New York City while daughter Noelle Griffin is a guidance counselor for Blairsville-Saltsburg School District — David was looking for a way to retire while ensuring that his business would continue. “It was getting to where I needed an exit strategy,” David said.

He passed along the word that he was seeking an interested buyer to a representative for Value Drug Co., a wholesale pharmaceutical distributor near Altoona. Jerry Moschgat, who also does business with the company, soon responded.

Taking over ownership of the Blairsville store seemed like a good fit for Pastorek and his partners.

“Jerry introduced me to Dan, and he seemed like a good guy. He obviously does very good business,” Pastorek said, adding, “We like the small-town atmosphere. We saw a good opportunity to serve the community here.

“We want to keep everything the same that Dan's been doing, and then we're going to add some new things that are newer to pharmacy.”

Pastorek said the new owners also intend to introduce some additional services including providing immunizations and offering free delivery to customers in Blairsville and surrounding areas.

Pastorek said he also plans to provide “Dispill” packaging of medications that is offered at Mainline Pharmacy locations.

He explained that a customer's various pills are placed in blister packs that are dated, color-coded and organized according to the time of day when the different medications are to be taken.

“It makes things easier for people who have 10 to 15 pills per day to take,” he said.

The change of ownership at Blairsville Pharmacy occurred Oct. 5, but David noted he will continue to be at the store part-time for the next several weeks to allow for a smooth transition.

David said he's enjoyed “being involved with the store and the town and all the different holidays and festivals. It's all been good.”

But he said it's time for a new generation to take over management of the pharmacy.

Blairsville Pharmacy has grown over the years in the size of its store, staff and merchandise.

David purchased the store  from Frank Smith in 1976, beginning with just two employees and 600 square feet on East Market Street. In 1978. he renamed the business Blairsville Pharmacy and moved across the street to his current location in the Serell Building. He expanded in the mid-1980s, adding the space formerly occupied by Goldfarb's women's clothing store to reach the current size of about 4,000 square feet.

“People used to come to us because, if they couldn't find it anywhere else, they would find it at our place,” David said of the diverse merchandise he's stocked on the store's shelves.

In addition to health and beauty products, items he's added over the years include greeting cards and gifts. He noted, “We used to offer a lot of dollar items,” years before the proliferation of dollar stores.

Most recently, the store expanded its food offerings.

David said he'll miss “the day in and day out activity” of running the store but is also looking forward to spending more leisure time with his family, including wife Karen, a former speech therapist.

While his plans aren't definite, he noted they likely will include some traveling, more time spent on the golf course and “hanging out around the swimming pool” at his Blairsville home.

Blairsville Pharmacy will continue to be open for business 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Jeff Himler is an editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-459-6100, ext. 2910 or jhimler@tribweb.com.